It may only be August, but bike brands are busy unveiling their 2014 models to the world. Our brother site, RoadCyclingUK visited the UK headquarters of Specialized last week to sneak a peek at their range of bikes being launched for the coming year.
The UK headquarters of Specialized is a bike lover’s dream. A building solely dedicated to everything two-wheeled. We were regaled with stories about the mini-museum that lead through to the showroom. Bikes of all eras featured; an original Allez road bike, an MTB worth a six figure sum, and one of Specialized’s first signature bikes – a replica Ned Overend Ultimate.
Once the drooling had subsided, we were treated to a taste of the key models from the Women’s 2014 Specialized road bike range. If any of these take your fancy, you’ll be glad to hear that you won’t have to wait too long to buy, as many of the models will be available in shops by the end of this month.
Specialized Dolce Sport Equipped
The baby sister of the Specialized road bike range, the popular Dolce model is back for 2014 with a mini facelift. At £870, the Sport Equipped model is a solid investment, especially as it sits in the Cycle to Work scheme budget.
Dubbed ‘Equipped’ – the bike certainly lives up to its name. Accessories thrown in include colour coordinated bottle cages and saddle bag. Well equipped for its price tag, the Dolce Sport Equipped comes with an A1 aluminium frame, carbon-bladed front fork and Specialized’s Xertz elastomer inserts on fork and seatstays improving ride comfort.
Additional features include internal cable routing, a nice aesthetic touch for a steed in this price range, and full Shimano Sora groupset.
Specialized Ruby Pro
The Ruby is the sister model of the Roubaix and the £4,000 Pro tier machine pictured above is the flagship bike of the comfort-oriented sector of Specialized 2014 women’s road bike range. The frame features the carbon dropouts of the upscale Roubaix models, but is equipped with a far more elegant integrated seat clamp. Other shared features include the Xertz elastomer inserts at the fork and seatstays, and the CGR seatpost.
The Ruby range starts at £1,300, but those seeking to invest in the flagship model get a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical groupset, Specialized FACT crank, and a 23mm aluminium clincher wheelset equipped with a carbon front hub, and Specialized designed, DT Swiss-made spokes. The Ruby saddle is also from the upper end of Specialized’s range, featuring a titanium rail, gel inserts, and a ‘Body Geometry’ designed cutaway.
Specialized Amira Comp
The sister model to the men’s Tarmac, the Amira is a conventionally-shaped racing bike (as opposed to the aero-profiled Venge). The silhouette is similar to the Tarmac, with the exception of the seat stays, which are a little more curved as they meet the seat cluster, both for comfort and to attain a smaller size (Specialized’s tube profiles are size specific).
Unlike the Tarmac, the Amira range does not use SL4 construction throughout. The flagship Lululemon team replica does, however, but at £3,000 will cost £800 more than the Comp version pictured here. For £2,200, you get a full carbon frameset, Shimano Ultegra 6800 shifting, Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels and an FSA Gossamer aluminium chainset.
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